"RUST SPIDERS"

There was an extensive discussion recently in the Classic Rendezvous group about this subject.

They have nothing to do with powder coating. I've never seen them on any frames from the 1970's, just 1980's and later. Could be due to a change in the paint formulas.

Rust spiders have an organic appearance.

I suspect is there's a possible organic cause for rust spiders, here's why:

There are a lot of microbes that use metals, all kinds of metals! For example, microbes are used to extract copper from low grade ore.

A microbiologist friend and his research team discovered a bacteria that can exist in highly radioactive uranium!

Rust is iron oxide and results when iron and oxygen mix usually from exposure to air or water. A micro-pore in the paint could be enough to get things started.

"Iron Bacteria are small living organisms that naturally occur in soil and water. These nuisance bacteria combine iron and manganese with oxygen to form deposits of “rust”. The most common bacteria known to feed on iron are Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans."

Almost all steels contain a small amount manganese as an alloy with iron.

To quote Madonna: "It could happen"

The bottom line is that rust spiders only affect the layer of steel under the paint. Scraping the lifted paint off and using a wire brush to remove the rust followed by some touch-up paint will protect the surface for a while.

verktyg

Chas.